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Jacks and the Yorkshire Ripper
Between June and August 1985, five men were horrifically murdered in Hulme, district of Manchester, England. It led to the third greatest criminal manhunt in British criminal history, after Jack the Ripper and the Yorkshire Ripper. The killer became known as Jack the Shadow. Almost one hundred years before in 1888, an unknown killer, regarded by many as the father of modern day serial killing began a reign of terror in the East End of London. Although the actual number of his victims has been debated over the years the "official" acceptance is five. The killer became known as Jack the Ripper. To this day his identity remains unknown. Family Historian and Jack the Shadow author, Tony J Williams investigated the United Kingdom's most notorious serial killers and found some staggering comparisons in all three killer cases. Background to Murder The areas in which all three killers began their reign on terror were regarded as slum quarters of the city, deprived and poverty stricken. Prostitution was rife and drunken disorder an everyday occurrence. Unemployment was high and an area where few decent people would dare to venture. Jack the Ripper would stalk the poverty slum streets of Whitechapel, Peter Sutcliffe - The Yorkshire Ripper, chose the poverty stricken town in the city of Leeds and Jack the Shadow chose the crime area of Hulme in the city of Manchester. The Murders The difference between Jack the Shadow and the two Rippers was the fact that the Shadow only killed on weekdays, while the Rippers murdered on weekends' only. In all cases, all but one of the victims would be murdered outdoors and left to be discovered later, either by passers-by or police searches. Only one victim would be murdered indoors (Mary Jane Kelly by Jack the Ripper/Patricia Atkinson by the Yorkshire Ripper/Edward Eddowes by Jack the Shadow) in all of those cases the victims brought the killer back to their home and were subsequently murdered in their bedrooms with their bodies left lying on the bed waiting to be discovered the very next day. The clues The three killers all left clues behind for the police to follow, Jack the Ripper left behind a piece of bloody apron, cut from one of his victims, this was later found in a doorway several streets from the murder, prompting police to conduct door to door interviews with suspects in that area. The Yorkshire ripper left behind a brand new £5 note in the handbag of his victim, later traced to several trucking companies payroll, this prompted police to conduct interviews with company employees who may have received the note in their pay packet. Jack the Shadow left behind a photo of his shadow, taken on a Polaroid instant print camera, later traced by the family of Eddowes, who reported it to the police, who conducted a series of interviews with residents of the area. Letters and hoaxes In each of the investigations, the police received letters from people claiming to be the killer. This caused a sensation and drove the media frenzy in a way never seen before in a murder case. They were ironically signed "Jack the Ripper/Shadow". Each letter promised to continue the attacks and taunted the efforts of their investigators. These letters were published in the newspapers in the hope that someone would recognise the handwriting. In the Yorkshire Ripper investigation it was later discovered that the letters were in fact a hoax. Serious researches into the Jack the Ripper murders conclude the 1888 letters were also possibly the work of hoaxers. Hampered investigations The investigations of 1888, 1970s and 1985 were the biggest criminal manhunts of their time. However, both were hampered by three problems: the mounting public pressure on them to find the killer, their instant belief in descriptions and letters sent in by hoaxers; and the sheer volume of information they had to process. Profile of the Ripper Profile of the killers Leading FBI Criminal profilers John Douglas and Roy Hazelwood conducted The Ripper Project for the first time ever they drew up a psychological profile of Jack the Ripper. In 1993, Stephen Burt conducted The Shadow Project. When we compare their findings with what we now know about Peter Sutcliffe the Yorkshire Ripper then the similarities really do become clear. 28 -36 years old Domineering Mother / close bond Not markedly different from anyone else but perceived by family and others as a little strange or morbid. Socially detached preferred own company Poor self-image Seen by others as shy / timid character easily overlooked as a suspect. Poor Work record Unable to make advances towards women Did not kill for financial or material gain nor was a sadistic killer i.e. one who derives pleasure from inflicting pain and torture. Both killed quickly At most dangerous following a loss of self-esteem. Likely to have committed other attacks on women that were not reported or linked together Unlikely to have sent letters to police or correspondence type of Killer does not seek this kind of attention.